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The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer:

Mountaineer

150,351 miles

When going 25-30 mph vehicle will not shift.it actually kicked the vehicle back. Od light started to flash then service engine soon light came on.been doing this since. Went to go get Mountaineer read and of coarse..the transmission..something needs to be done otherwise this might eventually lead to a lawsuit after reading all of the complaints on the exact same thing.

Mountaineer 6-cyl

150,000 miles

The speed control deactivation switch was replaced in my 2002 Mercury Mountaineer by a local dealer after the original recall was issued [Ford recall campaign number 09S09]. approximately 6 months ago, the low brake fluid light began to illuminate. Over time, the cause of the brake fluid loss became obvious as the brake fluid began to visibly leak from the new speed control deactivation switch. Presently, the low brake fluid level light illuminates every three to four days with minimal driving. The brake fluid reservoir requires approximately one quarter of its capacity upon every occurrence. It appears that the replacement speed control deactivation switch may be faulty as well. Hopefully, this is a rare occurrence, but in case it becomes more wide spread, I wanted to bring the issue to someone's attention.

Mountaineer 8-cyl

miles

2002 Mercury Mountaineer. Consumer states vehicle caught fire under the hood the consumer believed the reason for the vehicle catching on fire was due to a faulty starter. The consumer also mailed in a recall letter regarding the speed control deactivation switch.

Mountaineer 4WD 6-cyl

99,000 miles

I was driving my 2002 Mercury Mountaineer on vacation in Florida 1400 miles from home with my kids, I was on the interstate 75 on alligator alley when I was coming up on two semi trucks, I applied the brake and instead of the cruise control shutting off it sped up fast sending me towards the semi trailers going about 85 mph, I slammed on the brakes and veered off the interstate onto the shoulder and grabbed the gear shift lever to downshift to slow it down and the shift lever broke of in my hand, I got the SUV home and contacted the Ford dealer and I was told that there is a recall on the cruise control for failure but that I have to pay around 1 thousand dollars for the shifter arm that broke off when the cruise control defect caused all of this in the first place and the shifter arm should be a recall also as there are thousands and thousands of instances of shifter arms breaking on these models.

Mountaineer 8-cyl

90,000 miles

I own a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer. The tailgate developed a crack between the emblem and the rear glass lift. It was fixed once already and has since cracked again. Since this crack has developed, the door ajar light has come on. I have noticed the same crack in almost every Ford Explorer and Mountaineer that I see. I contacted the dealer to have it repaired again and was told that they only cover the repair once. I don't feel I should have to pay out of pocket for an obvious manufacturing defect. I then contacted Ford and was told there is nothing they can do for me. Keep in mind, I have also had numerous visits for my transmission having issues from the beginning and I have also had issues with the cruise control where it suddenly "takes off" and goes really fast. Ford needs to stand by it's vehicles and fix them when there are obvious manufacturer defects!

Mountaineer 8-cyl

miles

2002 Mercury Mountaineer with sudden acceleration problems. State farm insurance would like to know if someone wanted to look at the vehicle before repairs were made. The consumer hit a homeowners garage.

Mountaineer 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

67,000 miles

My wife was pulling into a parking space when the vehicle surged forward resulting in a crash with a metal hand rail and two air conditioning units. No definitive cause has been established except. A witness says she heard an engine rev up just prior to the crash.

Mountaineer 6-cyl

Mountaineer 8-cyl

Automatic transmission

20,000 miles

While reversing in low speed, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated into a pole. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The consumer experienced sudden acceleration. The consumer believed that the pedal stuck. The transmission pan was removed and then re-sealed. The main control valve body was removed and repaired.